Stowaway
by The White Rose
Summary: Jim has finally graduated from the Academy, and he and friends will once again be venturing out into open space. Along the way, unexpected visitors show up, including one strange woman who may change Jim's outlook on life forever... The title says it all.
1. Chapter 1

NOTE: I know that 'gods' and 'worlds' are plural, and I meant them to be like that. With all the cultures and religions… plus it sounds a little cooler!

A tall, young woman sauntered down the docks of the Interstellar Cressida Space Port, her head held high. She looked for the worlds like an interstellar princess, her long waist length hair braided over her shoulder, swinging in the same rhythm as her hips. She might have been royalty, too, if not for her grubby face and the tattered rags that she wore. Everything seemed a few sizes too big for her tall and slender frame. Her boots were of somewhat good quality, but compared to her figure looked large and cumbersome. Hanging from her thin waist like dead sails were canvas pants, held up by a wide belt. The cuffs were rolled up to make them short enough and both knees had fraying holes in them. Her shirt seemed to be the only thing close to her size, and it was a white tank top, the selves having been cut off sometime in the past. This was hardly seen, though, for most of her torso was covered in a bulky, green jacket. This had kept her from freezing in the streets many times, and she was damned if she would ever take it off.

Keira glanced at the ships she past with her mesmerizing steel-blue eyes. She was disappointed to see that most of the vessels she glanced at were small, old boats that were covered in space barnacles. One, though, caught her eye. It was a large galleon style ship, painted in a creamy-golden hue. It had three large masts, covered in brilliant new solar sails. The forecastle was high up from a long, flat deck, glistening from the cabin boy's mop and pail. The captain's cabin was bejeweled with ten tall and narrow blue-glass windows that looked out on the sky. She could see the crew running to and fro, securing barrels and crates below deck. She also noticed a frowning man atop the poop deck, gazing out over the ship. She guessed that this was an overseer of some sort, for he wore common clothes, not an Academy uniform. Walking around, she made her way closer to the ship. When she was close enough, she shouted up to the man.

"What ship be this?" she yelled, having no difficulty overcoming to noise from the crowd.

"This is the Royal Inter Stellar Integrity, miss. Who be it that asks?" he shouted back down to her.

"No one of importance. Just a street mouse. Say, you be that captain of this fair ship?" Keira asked, meaning to flatter the man into a momentary lapse of common sense.

"No, I just be the overseer of the loadin' of the supplies. The captain is a youngster. This be both the ship's and his first voyage."

"When does she set sail?" she shouted up to him, meaning the ship.

"Tomorrow mornin', miss, bright and early with the dawn sun."

"Thanks be, and the gods willin' you she has a safe journey." Keira shouted, walking back down the dock.

Smiling to herself, she disappeared into the crowd. Doubling back after a distance, she came back close to the ship, staying out of site from the overseer. She crouched down low behind a stack of crates. Settling down on a pile of rope, she got ready to wait. The fool of a foreman had been more than accommodating. Keira had learned all she had needed to know.

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Keira woke from her quick catnap and found that darkness had finally fallen. She waited for another hour, watching the crew slowly leave the ship and trickle out onto the docks, bidding each other goodnight and walking their separate ways. She waited until it seemed like most of the men had left until she stirred from her hiding place, staying low to the ground. Hugging the shadows, she slunk closer and closer to the ship, her feet hardly making a sound on the ground. Taking her time, she finally got to the boat. It had smooth sides, with few proper handholds, and was floating a ways out in the air from the ground.

Looking around for a mean of getting aboard the ship, a rope dangling down from the deck caught her eye. She gauged the distance from the dock to the rope and stepped back a few paces. Taking a deep breath, she quietly rushed forward and jumped into the air. She fell down faster than she liked and just barely caught hold of the rope in time. She was lucky that the rope trailed below the ship; otherwise, she would have crashed into the side, causing any guards to investigate.

Keira pulled herself up the rope, hand over hand, making sure not to scrape against the ship's pale siding. Reaching the top, she peeked over the railing. Seeing that the guard had his back turned to her, she pulled herself onto the deck. She disappeared into the shadows, making sure she had not been seen or heard. She waited in the darkness and hoped that the guard would slip off into sleep. Before long, loud snores could be heard escaping from the sleeping man.

Keira crept from her hideout and toward the stairs that would bring her below deck. She kept to the shadows, listening for any guards that might be around the corner. Fortunately, she met none, and her journey to the cargo hold was easy going. She finally found herself among the ship's supplies, made up of the necessities and a few luxury items. She also glimpsed many scientific instruments, many of which purposes were unknown to her. She traveled farther forward to the bow and found a nice hiding spot were the sides of the hull came together at the tip of the ship. She settled down, pulling some rope and other things together to fashion a makeshift nest. She pulled a few barrels and crates around her to better conceal her hideout, but she was confident that she would not be discovered until it was too late.



James Hawkins sat at his desk, all of his belongings folded and lying neatly inside his spacer's duffel bag, which sat on the floor next to his chair. His hair was neat, for once, and shorter, his customary ponytail gone. His face was smooth from his recent shave and his bright blue eyes danced in his face. Yet despite his cheery appearance, he was melancholy. He would soon be leaving the school that he had attended for five years. He would once again be journeying into the unknown, this time without a proper map, and less than a hope.

Sighing, he stood up and crossed to his bed. On it sat the wrapped bundle he had received at his graduation a few days before. He opened it and pulled out a new captain's suit. He stripped off his old clothes and pulled on the shirt and jacket. The creamy material felt cool against his skin, and he shivered slightly. The pale fabric of the jacket was pierced with bright golden buttons, the collar and cuffs trimmed with thin golden braids. He pulled on the new pants and, rather reluctantly, switched his old, scuffed black shoes for the new white boots. He stood in front of the mirror and examined his new attire. He seemed a different person, unfamiliar even to himself. He thought back to his days on Montressor and his childhood, his adventure on the RLS Legacy, and then reflected on his more recent days at the Academy. _Things defiantly havechanged_, he thought to himself, _and I've changed_. He looked at his old duds. Folding them, he placed them in his bag, not wanting to part with the clothes that had served him so well for so long.

Jim hoisted his bag onto his shoulder and opened the door walking out into the hallway. Not even pausing to take a look back, he treaded down the corridor, making his way to the front doors of the Academy. People gathered in the halls, watching him through their doorways as he continued on. It seemed ages before he reached the large doors that barred his way to the world. Pausing, he took a deep breath. He started forward, and the doors swung open. He blinked at the sudden sunlight, stepped from the shadows of the door, and disappeared into the brilliance of the morning sunrise.


	2. Chapter 2

Jim walked along the dock, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning. He shifted his bag higher up on his shoulder as he walked, gripping something in his pocket with the other hand. He made his way closer and closer to the center of the Space Port, looking around for his ship. He had to stop and ask for directions a few times, but eventually made it. He looked at the shining new hull and smiled to himself, glad he would soon be back in space.

He walked up the gangway onto the deck of the ship. He stopped and looked around, seeing that the crew was busily running around to get the last of the supplies in place. He was about to continue forward when he was tackled from behind. Stumbling forward, he dropped his duffel bag on the deck, trying to catch his balance. He tried to turn around but found himself caught in an iron grip.

"Jimmy! Jimmy, I'm so glad to see you. It's been too long, much much too long. How are you! Good, good. I've been fine. Been living with the Doctor all these years. It'll be so good to get back into space. Are you exited? I am. Can you tell I'm excited? Because I really, really am!"

Jim couldn't help but laugh. "It's good to see you too, Ben. Speaking of Doppler, where is the Doc'?

"Somewhere fiddling with his scientific stuff. All these instruments that I've never even heard of before. Whosits and whatsits galore!" explained the robot, releasing Jim from his death-grip.

"Well I should go see him." Jim said.

"Yes, and right away, too. He seemed anxious to talk to you. But who wouldn't be? He wants to make sure you have the…"

Jim tensed up, ready for the robot to blurt something out.

"The… you know." He said, lowering his voice.

Jim sighed and relaxed. He was relieved that the navigator had learned to hold his tongue in the five years Jim had been gone. "Yes, who wouldn't be anxious?" He said, more to himself than to Ben.

"Toodle-loo, **Captain** Hawkins." spoke the navigator, emphasizing Jim's new title.

"Don't go getting yourself into trouble!" Jim said, turning around.

As he walked through the door to the captain's cabin, he heard a crash. He shook his head, betting anything that the noise had come from the clumsy robot. Shaking his head again and sighing, he entered into the dark doorway.

Looking around, he inspected the room. It looked like an average office, complete with a desk, a couple of comfortable looking chairs, bookshelves with glass doors, and a large, gloomy looking safe. Behind the desk sat an alien that looked more like a dog than anything else. His large floppy ears and round snout looked quiet out of place compared to his glasses and prim clothing. He was running one of his stubby fingers over some text in a book, bending down quiet low over the small print. He didn't seem to notice Jim for a moment, but seemed to go on with his reading. Jim cleared his throat, not wanting to be rude to the Doctor.

Looking up, Dr. Dilbert Doppler smiled, showing his large canines. "Jim! Oh, how are you? We were wondering why you were late."

"I got lost. How are you, Doctor?"

"Fine, fine. Just reading up on some… information. Ah, and don't you look spiffy in your new uniform!" he commented.

"Thanks Doc. Where's the Captain?" Jim asked, referring to Captain Amelia, the Doctor's wife.

"You'll have to start calling her Amelia, now that you two are equals." Doppler said. Continuing on he answered, "She's not coming with us. She has to stay home with the pups and take care of them. We are also expecting more pups on the way and she's in no condition for spacing. Besides, she's enjoying her temporary retirement, even if she won't admit it."

Jim nodded, his face expressionless. He was still a little disturbed at the thought of the Doctor and Captain having children, though he never had really figured out why it should be so strange. He reasoned that it was probably because Amelia bore such an uncanny resemblance to a cat. Shrugging off the topic, Jim looked around some more, reading a few of the book's bindings on the shelves. One caught his eye, and he pulled it down.

Flipping through the pages, he remarked, "So, Doctor, what exactly are we venturing this time? You just wrote me to tell me to bring it, and wouldn't say me anything else. What's going on?"

"Jim, I think it would be best if we, umm…"

"Went somewhere where we would less likely be heard?" Jim asked, finishing the Doctor's sentence.

"Yes. Why don't we go into your office."

"My office? I thought _this _was my office."

"Why no dear boy," the Doctor said, smiling, "this is _my_ office."

_Good gods, how big is this ship!_ Jim wondered to himself.

Following Doppler farther back through the ship, they came to a large round room. Every square inch of the walls was covered in tall bookshelves, and the doors were only visible as square holes in the unceasing rows of books. Jim walked around to the large cherry desk that sat in front of two long oval windows that looked out onto the morning sky. He glanced out, thankful that it would not be stormy that day, then turned back to face the room. He pulled out the large leather desk chair, admiring how well it glided on its hidden wheels. Sitting down, he folded his hands together and laid them on the desk. Jim looked up at Doppler, who was looking at him curiously.

"What is it, Doctor?" Jim inquired.

"Nothing. I just remember you when you were a young vandal down on Montressor. My how you have grown since then. You're mother is very proud of you."

"You saw my mother?" Jim asked, brushing off the fact that he would not be able to see her until the voyage was over.

"I talked to her briefly after the graduation ceremony. She was telling me how she never thought you would graduate ahead of the other students, yet there you were, with your own personal promotion. She was crying when they made you a captain."

"And I never even got to see her…" Jim mumbled to himself, jealous that the astronomer had seen his mother when he had not spoken to her in more than a year.

"Well, the first thing we will have to do it to fix that then." Doppler said, smiling.

Jim looked up, suspicious. "Why are we going down to Montressor?"

"We aren't. Your mother is vacationing on a planet in the Jaunerooka galaxy. Her physician told her she was too stressed, so she decided to take a much deserved break from the inn." The Doctor replied.

"Well, why are we going to the Jaunablahgity galaxy?" Jim said, stumbling over the foreign word.

"It's on the way and I thought you would like to see your mother."

"What, in case I die? Or we get lost? Or a combination of the two?"

"Jim, do you have to be so obnoxiously suspicious of everyone?" Doppler asked, not at all harshly.

"Well, isn't it my job to question the intentions of anyone on my ship?" Jim asked.

"Yes," Doppler said after a pause, "I suppose it is."

"You still haven't told me where we're going, Doctor." Jim said after a moment's silence.

"Well, that's because I'm not quite sure yet. We know what we're looking for, we know the general area, we just don't know the exact coordinates." The Doctor explained.

"Does this mystery place have a name by any chance?" Jim asked.

"Yes, but it's in a language that I, nor anyone else in this region, can speak. We'll call it Decorus Plagiarius if you'd like."

"That's quite a mouthful, Doc. I never was that good at Latin." Jim said sarcastically.

Doppler sighed. "I'm sorry, Doppler. I'm just a little on edge. It'll be nice to be back in space, but until then I'm still my old self. You know I'm always a little uneasy when I'm on solid ground." Jim said, smiling apologetically.

"It's okay, Jim. It is a hard name to wrap one's mouth around. We'll just call it the Beautiful Planet, then."

"Works for me. So, I'm guessing you want to use the map to find it?"

Doppler chuckled, "Hit the nail right on the head, as always. Well, let's see if we can't get it opened again, hmm?" Doppler said.

Jim nodded and pulled a fist-sized golden orb from his pocket. He hadn't let go of it all day, keeping it firmly grasped in his hand all day. Last time he had let go of it, it had caused a world of trouble. He had quickly learned from his mistake. He brushed if off, tracing the intricate engravings with his fingers. He just looked at it for a few moments, marveling at the power the little orb contained within it. _And the trouble it's caused_ Jim thought to himself.

Sensing that Doppler was becoming impatient, Jim fiddled with the golden orb a bit, pressing various depressions and twisting its hemispheres this way and that. After a while, it opened. Jim noticed that it had taken him longer to open it than before and grumbled to himself. He quickly forgot about this as the room was bathed in greenish-blue light. Latitude and longitude lines raced across the bookshelves, covering them in eerie markings. After the large sphere had filled the room, stars sprung into bright existence around the room. Next came various planets, followed by their moons. Asteroid belts and comets came last, making the room almost blindingly beautiful.

"Still so amazing, Flint's map of a thousand worlds and more." Doppler spoke in awe.

Jim just nodded, entranced by the dancing lights. To him, it was a deadly beauty. No matter how he tried, he could not shake the feeling of doom as he watched Doppler trace the constellations. For some time the friends just stood there, both of them thinking about their journey from over five years ago. Now, with the prospect of another adventure, both were excited. Yet Jim had mixed feelings. He was glad to be doing something besides schoolwork, but he knew it wiser to not think that the voyage would be all milk and honey.

"Ah, here is the general area." Doppler said, breaking Jim's train of thought.

Turning around, Jim looked to where the astronomer was pointing. "Gods! That must be over a million miles from here!" Jim exclaimed.

"A little over 860,530 leagues, to be precise." Doppler replied, looking very nonchalant about the immense distance.

Jim paced in front of the desk, running his fingers along the smooth surface. "Well, when are you hoping to get there by?"

"As soon as possible. It shouldn't take over three months I should think." Doppler replied casually.

"Oh, no small feat, then." Jim replied sardonically, pacing faster, his hands no clasped behind his back. "We will hope for fine weather then, Doctor, to fill our sails as full as they may stretch."

"Don't worry, Jim. I have another trick up my sleeve yet."

"Well, I wish you would empty your shirt of its miracles, because I'm not sure if we could make half of the distance in three times the time."

"Well, now, we have that Door, don't we?"

Jim stopped his pacing to stare at the doctor. "The mechanism what destroyed. You above all people should remember that." replied Jim.

"Was it now? I just remember the planet being blown to bits, not the Door."

"All of Treasure Planet was the Door!" Jim said, becoming slightly irritated.

"No, dear boy. The planet was a large machine, yes, but it was built to guard Flint's treasure. The Door itself was only a receptor of that map of yours." Doppler explained.

Jim leaned against the desk, his expression pensive. Finally, his face broke out with wonder, a small smile creeping to his lips. "You've thought about this quite a lot, haven't you Doctor?' he asked.

"Yes, I have when it comes down to fact. All we have to do is find the bit of planet that the map fits into and we can have a door to anywhere, any time and any place! It would be wonderfully useful."

"Not to mention it would save a lot of time for certain explorers." Jim said, shaking his head that he himself had not thought of it. It was so bold, so impossible, so inane! _And it just might work._


	3. Update

My fellow writers, readers, and Treasure Planet fans:

Unfortunately, I've been slacking on my writing and don't have much in the ways of a plot left for a good story ; Sorry, but the plot I was going to do seemed a little. . . I don't know, not like the type of story I was going for. They whole falling in love with the wrong type of person or something. I might try and salvage this story because I like my character, but I try not to do too many OC pairings. Though Jim doesn't really have any original love interests. . . that does make it a little harder 3 But anyway, it's also a lot harder to write because my mom is being an internet Nazi -- Only 2 hours a day, and since I usually type out my stories, well, it doesn't leave very much time when I do get the motivation. Maybe over a little while I will work on some more chapters, but it will probably turn out to be a short story and not the epic that I was planning for. So, thanks for reading it so far and the lovely reviews some of you have sent me. This may be the end of The White Rose's fan fiction writing career, but who know? Maybe I'll return.

The White Rose


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